Are Some People Just Unlucky Breakers?

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DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
is it possible that someone could be one of those poor unfortunate people that just doesnt seem to have any luck with the break shot?

for example, there are times when i break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break and break, etc, etc, etc and just never ever have a chance to run out.

the other night i kept track and out of 71 breaks i had 3 chances, yes just three chances, where i had a decent spread and a chance to run the rack. this seems incredible to me, yet its close to being the norm. i would say on the average that 1 of 15 breaks i get a ball down and a pretty decent spread and a good chance to run out. i would say i make a ball close to half of the time, so thats not a huge problem for the most part. but i just constantly get hosed by the balls, they just dont seem to cooperate with me.

i have a Gold Crown IV, Simonis 860, and Belgian Aramith balls so the equipment is not a problem. i have changed spots, changed stances, changed bridges, changed cues, changed tips, etc, etc.

any thoughts posters?
 
Yeah. Work more on your break. Maybe you're not hitting the 1b in the face enough. Maybe you're trying to hit the rack too hard. I think having more stroke and less power brings a better result too.
 
Rickw said:
Yeah. Work more on your break. Maybe you're not hitting the 1b in the face enough. Maybe you're trying to hit the rack too hard. I think having more stroke and less power brings a better result too.
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I agree. When you hit the one on the face and the cueball pops to the center of the table your chances to get a shot and get out are much higher than when the cueball crashes around the table. Do you scratch a lot? That would be a sign that you need to work on sticking the cueball.
There are a couple of VERY good players I know that will start a match breaking softly and will only break harder if that doesn't make any balls. You can hold the cueball more securely breaking softly.
 
there are several factors that play into a successfull break. i shall share all of them with you, if you follow every one of these, you should be able to get out 95% of the time! here we go:=- make sure you have a 13mm tip or larger on your break cue. i prefer a triangle. make sure your useing an 18 oz. cue. do not break from off the rail. break with your hand on the table itself. break straight on, from the head ball, do not break from any angle. break, from just behind the head spot, no further. start with fast warm up strokes, then slow them way, way down. hone in zone in and lock in to the head ball. with a huge, perfectly timed SNAP! of the stroke/wrist, propel yourself foward. do not hit below center or above center. do not use any english whatsoever. use a closed bridge. make sure your aramith balls are totally clean, and leave just a little polish on it. make sure it's 63 degrees in the room. have de-humidifiers going at top speed. re-cloth your table with simonis 860 again! that's it. i can't think of anything else that would help you. eventually your back leg will fly up like a ballerina like oliver ortmann's. that will come naturally, don't force this issue. protect the cue ball, at all costs, by never hitting high or low on the cue ball. if all of this doesn't help, snooker is a pleasent game, and has no power break. good luck and good breaking!
 
Unlucky Breakers

Hi Michael,

Up here in the Northeast, we break from the box during a Joss Tour event. One of the things I find very helpful is actually seeing the cue ball strike the one. So many of my competitors put so much of their body into motion that "seeing" the hit is not possible. My way brings repeatability. I also try to control the motion of the cue ball. I agree with Silencer (did I really say that) that center cue ball seems to work best for me. If you watch some of the top pros, they draw the cue ball of the one. Bringing the cue ball down to the bottom rail removes the "scratch in the side" problem that sometimes results from an off center hit on the one.

Another rule to follow is "practice, practice, practice". No one keeps their stroke fluid without it. You might have someone video tape your break. Watch what your body is doing. Where are your eyes looking? How was your timing? If you are being honest about the 3 for 71 statistic, you really need practice! I played in a McDermott sponsored event this weekend. From the "complaints" I got from my competitors, my guess is better than 60% of my breaks were giving me control of the first shot.

Not having an open shot at the first ball is not a disaster. Sometimes you can do more damage with a great safe off the first ball. Learn to push out correctly. It is another powerful tool. Do not treat the break shot as a necessary evil. Do not adjust your break for one playing condition. As you travel, you will find conditions that will not duplicate the Simonis 860/Super Aramith Pro conditions you mentioned. Get the basics down. Then adjust on site.
 
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well thanks for all you guys help/advice.

but i think i am one of those guys thats just jinxed. yes, i lose control of the cue ball. sometimes i draw it down the table. sometimes i draw it off the side rail. and there are times when i do manage to leave it around the center of the table. and there are times when i swear i hit the cue ball right in the middle and it still draws downtable.

but, and here's the key - doesnt make any difference what happens to the cue ball, i rarely have a shot. balls roll up in my way, or i might have a shot on the '1' but the '2' is stuck next to the '7' all the way on the other end of the table, or all i have is a very difficult almost unmakeable shot, tough combo, etc, etc, etc.

i am starting to get paranoid.
once in a great while i have a night where i get decent spreads, but 90% of the time or more i have days/nights where i rarely have a chance.

M
 
Everyone is out to get you. Now do be careful.

-pigi

DrCue'sProtege said:
well thanks for all you guys help/advice.

but i think i am one of those guys thats just jinxed. yes, i lose control of the cue ball. sometimes i draw it down the table. sometimes i draw it off the side rail. and there are times when i do manage to leave it around the center of the table. and there are times when i swear i hit the cue ball right in the middle and it still draws downtable.

but, and here's the key - doesnt make any difference what happens to the cue ball, i rarely have a shot. balls roll up in my way, or i might have a shot on the '1' but the '2' is stuck next to the '7' all the way on the other end of the table, or all i have is a very difficult almost unmakeable shot, tough combo, etc, etc, etc.

i am starting to get paranoid.
once in a great while i have a night where i get decent spreads, but 90% of the time or more i have days/nights where i rarely have a chance.

M
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Michael,

If you are Dr Cue's protege, I have a hard time understanding why Tom hasn't slapped you upside the head! Come on. Take a hard look at what you're doing and how you're doing it. If you are not speading the rack, you must not be transferring enough energy to the rack from the cue ball. If you are, then you need to practice where you're hitting the one ball. Its that simple.

A coin was flipped for the break four times on Saturday. I won the break each time calling heads. Sunday, I called heads three times and lost the break each time. Law of Probability? Polish Law of Gravitation? Maybe. How do you practice a coin flip? Keep practicing your break! Good luck.
 
may i suggest you take up 8-ball. after the break, no matter how unlucky you are, and no matter how weak your break is, you'll always have a shot.
 
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